Friday, 16 November 2007

Stila & Paul and Joe Haul

The Stila and Paul & Joe holiday collections have arrived in Singapore! I picked these lovely babies up this evening at Tangs (Stila) and Isetan Wisma Atria (Paul & Joe).

Stila is currently running a GWP promotion whereby if you spend $130, you get a notebook, full size Petal Infusions Balancing Fluid (for normal to oily skin) 150ml and All Over Shimmer Eyes #8. With purchase of $180, you get an additional Pretty Pansy eyeshadow trio from the Spring 2007 collection (this is the most gorgeous green palette that Stila has released in a long time but I already had it). I got both the warm and cool eyeshadow trios as well as the blush duo (all priced at S$49 each, which is a few dollars more than the US price but the difference is negligible once you take into account sales taxes). Unfortunately, the Belle of the Ball eyeshadow quad is not available in Singapore.

I haven't worn the eyeshadows and blush yet so I can't say how well they perform but my initial thoughts based on swatching these at the counter are that these are not really must-haves unless you're a hardcore Stila collector who can't resist anything with the Stila girls on them. The blush shades are a bit on the frosty side without much color payoff. The colours in the eyeshadow trios are just average, certainly not the best that I've tried from Stila.

The Guinevere and Scarlett palettes were $59 and look like more value for money compared to the round eyeshadow trios as you get a sturdier, sleeker metal palette that also includes a blush and a lip color. But as I've only used my Lucky Plum palette (which comes in an identical style) only once, I really couldn't justify getting the Guinevere/Scarlett palettes. Of the two, I liked Guinevere more as the blush shade was more pigmented with a much silkier texture than the one in Scarlett which felt quite dry. The blush shade in Guinevere also reminded me of Nars' famous Orgasm blush, as it's a similar shimmery light peach.

Do also check out my good buddy the Muse's review of the Stila holiday collection!

From Paul & Joe, I got the Face Color Powder CS N in #201 Rendezvous (light pink and shimmery smokey plum) and the lipsticks in #201 Amuse Bouche, a rosy pink, and #301 RSVP, described by P&J as a "seriously sexy adult red". What's nice about RSVP is that it is not too bright and also not too orange-toned. I skipped the lipstick in #101 Rendezvous as it is a shimmery light beige without much color payoff. What I love about Paul & Joe lipsticks is that they give a smooth, creamy wash of colour without drying out my lips and last very well. The other two Face Colors were nice but not that unique. I really liked the warm shimmery brown in #301 Soiree but not the matte charcoal black so I passed on it. I contemplated gettting the coffret set as well but decided against it in the end as the material of the purse felt a bit cheap. The lipglosses are pretty with a lot of shimmer.

Paul & Joe is currently also running a couple of GWP promotions. With $99 purchase, you get a brown suede oval-shaped accessory box. With $120 purchase, you get the cat print tote bag. The new holiday collection is priced at S$39 for the lipsticks, S$39 for the face colors, S$60 for the limited edition pressed powder and $83 (?) for the coffret set with the green purse, mascara duo and lipgloss. The limited edition pressed powder is basically a very shimmery face highlighter with micro sparkles.

4 comments:

Kitten is Stila's top-selling eyeshadow and one that is frequently featured in Stila's eyeshadow palettes. There are 376 reviews of it on Makeupalley which I highly recommend checking out if you have the time. It's a frosty champagne beige.